There will be an official competitions with 5 categories: Feature-Length Fiction, Short Movie, Animation, Documentary and “Alt-Fel”

There are many interesting things announced as: previews of film, special projections, retrospectives, film made in RO, indie films,a horror film day and many others.

Participating countries: Romania (of course), UK, Rwanda, Canada, Mexico, USA and France.

The IIFF organizers are looking for volunteers. Maybe you’re a theater student or just someone who likes movies by being a volunteer at IIFF you have tons of benefits like:

- Free access at all festivals shows and events;
- Chance to get to know personally the guest artists;
- Chance to be around personalities of the national and international cinematography;
…And especially you are given the unique experience of participating in the organization of and international event.

You shall find me there with Diana Călinescu from Still Online. See ya there?

It’s not a big city but it has it’s magic. You can easily spend a day here without knowing the hours are passing.

One of the most interesting things I have seen was the Roman Theater that was built in the times of Emperor Caesar Augustus (16 jan 27 BC – 19 aug 14 AC). In those times Cartagena was a Roman Colony (obviously).

In order to get to the theater you first will enter its museum in which you can find many pots coming from different periods of Cartagena, pieces of statues from the theater and other things like this. After that, you pass from the museum to an old Cathedral. Next in line you will find the theater.

Cartagena is also famous because there was built the first self-propelled submarine. It was built by the Isaac Peral in 1884 and launched in 1888.

Then there is the National Museum of Underwater Archeology and Center of Underwater Investigations. Long name, funny story. It’s a new museum (it was inaugurated in 2008) that holds extremely many things related to a boat. So for a while I remained thinking that it’s museum built for a boat. In fact there are 2 Phoenician boats. One of them, called Mazarrón II, is an the most complete ancient boat ever found.

Let’s not forget about the Gran Hotel.

This is the most modernist building from the city built in 1917. In the present the only thing left from the beautiful hotel is its facade. The inside was totally reformed and if I am not mistaken, there is a bank office on the 1st floor.

It’s a port city so one of the attractions is the port.

Did I say that it’s a natural port?

Let’s have some fun! The first time I visited the city they had an annual carnival.

Singing

Dance & Parade

It’s beautiful to see. Because the gran majority (I cannot say all, I don’t have all the facts) dress up and parade for free. Exactly the same thing happened in Murcia in the Spring Ferries. Almost everybody, from babies to grownups, was dressed in national costumes even though they were just taking a walk.

missyou

I started a mental list with what I wanna eat when I get home (soon I’ll also write it!).

It’s weird how some friends are not responding to your emails (1), some are not talking very much (2), some are talking a lot with you (3)…and others (4) you wouldn’t expect to talk more than the (2) … talk with you everyday almost. And with (4) you are not talking very much, you might exchange 3 words and that’s it for the day…but still.

I wonder…am I the only one who wishes to be somewhere else all the time almost all the time? When I was home I couldn’t wait to get here, now I cannot wait to go home. In the 12th grade I wanted to be in the 11th, in the 11th I wanted to be in the 10th. When I was at work I was dreaming of free time and to go to the university without being pressured into changing your group, when I was only studying I wanted to work. It’s typical for human beings: want what you don’t have. If you have brown eye, you want them blue or green. If you’re brunette you wanna be blond. And so on…

Today while looking for some PowePoint shows for a friend of mine I accidentally see those again. This is where the weird part begins. I didn’t even realize that I wrote it until I saw the suggestion part I wrote for the girl, something like “write more if you want something more. and something for indirect speech”. Searched between my 3 neurons and finally remembered.

Now I feel like an undiscovered unpolished diamond. If you wanna see why -> read the following:

“John was looking through the groceries and trying to remember if his wife told him to buy anything else. Of course he forgot to buy carrots. John looks in the store and finds the appropriate shelf. Suddenly his heart starts beating faster. The woman two meters away from him seems so familiar. Is it Rachel? Is it really her?
J: Hello! he says with his voice down
R: John?
J: Yes! It’s me!
R: Oh my God, I haven’t seen you in so long! says Rachel and starts hugging him
J: Yes, I know! How much time has passed? Since the Senior Prom I think.
R: No, it was the Graduation Day! But how are you? What have you been up to?
J: Well, after I graduated from the Law School I started working as a lawyer for a this big company, I think you know it, it’s called “J&J legal”. That is where I met my wife. Now we have 3 beautiful children, 2 boys and a girl. But what about you?
R: Oh, me? I now have my own company, a spa on the Fifth Street. I started a year ago so I’m still nervous about it. But until now it’s going good, we have lots of customers and the access is only by schedule because we have a big waiting list!
J: That is great! But until this what did you do?
R: Well, I worked in many places at the same time, haven’t got much time for love. I tried to make my wish come true. And I managed to do it. And now I take advantage on the free time I have. Met someone 6 months ago and it become serious. We are thinking about a life together.
J: I am really happy for you, I see you have become a successful woman!
R: Thank you! It’s really great now to work for my own! Please tell me about your children! How old are they?
J: Ow! Jared is 18 years old, he graduates this year and he wants to be a race pilot. I still hope he changes his mind but I see he’s very into that. Annie is 16 years old, she’s very beautiful. A month ago a modeling agency contacted her but we weren’t very trustful. But now they proved they are serious and we are ok with it. And Richard is 8 years old, has lots of energy but that is very good for his age.
R: You seem to have a great family! says Rachel while the saleswoman gets the last product from her basket
Saleswoman: 5.95 $ please!
J: It was great seeing you again, I really enjoyed catching up! We should meet for a coffee sometime, don’t let as much time pass!
R: You are right! Look this is my business card, there you have my phone number!
J: Great, here you have mine! Have a very nice day!”

Ah…to be continued…when I get all fluffy and with the mood to ruin some imaginary relationships.

Budapest - view from Fishermens Bastion

Today I am sure that from the 1st of October I’ll be in Budapest starting my EVS at Egyesek, the dream NGO for me!

It’s great to finally do something I want so much even though the mother part will be a bit difficult. When I wasn’t sure if I will apply or not I’ve talked to her about that and the reaction wasn’t nice at all. She started to tell me that this will not happen, if I do it she’s gonna be so upset like I have never seen her before, while I’m living in her house I do as she says. The thing is that I kinda always do what she wanted me to but at that point I agreed. Except a year ago when I got hired. A month after doing that she told me “You know…I got to the conclusion that you did good by getting a job!”. Now I’m (waiting and) hoping that it’s gonna be the same conclusion…after 3 months max.

So now I’m jumping around yupi!

On the 7th of May I have sent 5 envelopes with 1 or 3 DVDs and now I am curious to see how they get to their destination and especially when. From the 5 countries (Greece, Czech Republic, Sweden, Romania and Turkey) I am a bit nervous for the Romanian envelope as I have seen the results of one of Visurat’s experiments with the Romanian Post Service.

I’m counting on my girls to support me with info for that!

LE: The envelopes for Czech Republic and Greece have reached their destination today in “perfect condition”. So we have approximately 4 days in which are included Saturday and Sunday. Good job!

LLLE: Turkey got the DVDs 2 weeks after I sent them!

“The next class is at 1:30, the teacher comes at 1:45 so it’s ok if I take 39A (the bus) at 1:20” I said to myself. I could have picked up the bus from 1PM that was close to my house but I thought it was the same thing (almost, because the 39A has a station a bit far). I get there in time (because I ran) but the driver doesn’t stop because he cannot see anybody looking at the bus and he assumes that nobody wants to get in. Ooook, I get in other bus to catch it the one I want, I get off at the next station because there are many traffic lights in that area (La Glorieta de España) so I start to run again to the next bus station which is close by.
I can start hearing “hurray” and applauses in my head when I get beside the bus and I am next to the door when the bus starts moving again and closing the door. With me still being in the bus station.

At that point I was already tired of all that running and faced the fact that I cannot get to the next bus station before the bus (if I could probably I would go to the university jogging). But I wasn’t ready to give up; I didn’t want to miss another class! So I choose a shortcut that would get me to a bus station in which I could have a chance to catch the damned bus. Till there we have a combination of fast walking, running, craving for water and stuff like that. Finally I get where I wanted and…there’s no bus in sight. “Did the stupid thing pass already??” Anyway I didn’t have energy for anything so decided to sit on a bench and to scan around for shops with something cold I could drink.

After 2 minutes something like a knight on a white horse appears (it was the bus but for me you can realize it was more than a simple bus), it stops and I get in! I watch the driver in his sunglasses with a satisfied look “Ha! Catch’a!”. I find a seat and see the fireworks. Yuppy I’m gonna get to class! After 15 minutes, I think, we get to the point where 39A and 39C (the bus that is close to my flat) meet and guess who’s behind the bus I’m in? Of course, the bus 39C. I start doing the math “If it got here at 1:47 then it means it left at 1:30 and it didn’t have many stops”. Ok, I can live with that (actually I can’t but I’m trying to convince myself that I can).

Finally I get to the university, I get to the wrong floor, I figure out the right room, get in and…surprise: nobody is there! Nobody came because this week we have the days of the Faculty of Economics and also these are the last days of classes before 2 weeks of holiday.

Conclusion? Run Forest, RUN!